The trans-Tasman battle will be at the forefront of this weekend's SailGP season opener.
The Australians edged New Zealand for the season three title just five weeks ago and while redemption is on the Kiwis' minds, a couple of old foes won't go away.
It's a rivalry steeped in our sporting history, but in SailGP, it's advantage green and gold.
"Tom's [Slingsby] did an amazing job with the Australian team," New Zealand driver Peter Burling told Newshub.
"[He's] really setting the benchmark."
In fact, it's a remarkable benchmark that Slingsby and the Aussies have set - three seasons, three series victories, and they're hungry to do it again.
"The old saying is, 'How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time'," Burling told Newshub. "That's the sort of the focus I take to my sailing."
But this is a feud that goes beyond the feasting of the old foe.
Burling and Aussie opposite Slingsby made it personal last season in Saint Tropez.
"As skippers, we might need to pitch for some anger management for Tom," he said at the time.
"I think it's out of line, the amount of swear words he was saying over the race management channel."
The pair claim they've since made up, though Slingsby does have bragging rights.
"We had a few beers together and had some fun," he continued. "But we're fierce competitors on the water.
"I've known him a long time and we get along really well on land."
Regardless, Burling and Slingsby insist they'll be playing nice this weekend, but when racing gets underway on Saturday, you can almost guarantee the pleasantries will all go in the water.
Tune into Three or ThreeNow for live, free-to-air coverage of all 12 SailGP events this season.
